...But the tasty cakes originally made with milk and eggs had a shelf life of two or three days. By the 1940s, postwar America was pushing hard for consumer convenience and had a huge chemical capacity surplus from the war effort, Ettlinger said.

That combination led food scientists to find new uses for, among other chemical concoctions, polysorbate 60. The petroleum-based egg yolk substitute includes a toxic gas used to thicken paint and rocket fuel, Ettlinger said. Polysorbate 60 also happens to be a Twinkie ingredient.

As food processing evolved, the composition of Twinkies expanded to include artificial butter flavor, high-fructose corn syrup, calcium sulfate and sodium stearoyl lactylate, to name a few. Today Twinkies include about 40 ingredients....

Some highlights:
Top wage was cut from $48,000 in 2005 to $34,000 ($16.12 per hour) last year. The company's latest proposal was to cut it again to $25,000 ($11.26 per hour).
The pension was entirely self funded. The company "borrowed" it and never paid it back.
The company's proposal included doubling insurance premiums while lowering the overall quality of the health plan.
The company's latest proposal included canceling all future pension plan participation.
6 CEOs since 2002, all left the company worse than when they took over, yet all got paid in full plus raises and huge bonuses. The current CEO aready announced he was leaving less than a year into the job, before he even offered the company's final proposal.
One CEO "leaked" a letter saying the company had the best quarter in history. He then sold all of his stock, and released an updated letter saying the company was in big trouble. He resigned, but was brought back on as a consultant.

Some highlights:
Top wage was cut from $48,000 in 2005 to $34,000 ($16.12 per hour) last year. The company's latest proposal was to cut it again to $25,000 ($11.26 per hour).
The pension was entirely self funded. The company "borrowed" it and never paid it back.
The company's proposal included doubling insurance premiums while lowering the overall quality of the health plan.
The company's latest proposal included canceling all future pension plan participation.
6 CEOs since 2002, all left the company worse than when they took over, yet all got paid in full plus raises and huge bonuses. The current CEO aready announced he was leaving less than a year into the job, before he even offered the company's final proposal.
One CEO "leaked" a letter saying the company had the best quarter in history. He then sold all of his stock, and released an updated letter saying the company was in big trouble. He resigned, but was brought back on as a consultant.

Yeah, I'm sure it's all the unions' fault that hostess makes some of the most unhealthy food you can get.

I'm sure the execs who made the decision to not sell anything healthy, even when America was clearly moving towards healthier eating, took the same cuts they are asking the bakers to take, right?

I don't know the specifics behind this strike. I do know that all of the things hostess is famous for, are things I wouldn't let my kids eat all the time. And that is certainly not something that can be blamed on the bakers union.

Hostess was more than snack foods. They offered a variety of healthy, whole grain breads. As far as the baker's union... I hope every one of those ******** that voted for the strike lose their homes(and everything else, for that matter) for putting the rest of us out of a job. Their last offer to Hostess was to fire the Teamsters(transport drivers, RSR's, and go to IO's in order to pay the bakers more money to push a button after loading pre-measured ingredients.

I hope every one of those ******** that voted for the strike lose their homes(and everything else, for that matter) ...

How bad does a company have to be, in order for the workers to prefer closing it down to taking a pay cut? You're right, the workers are risking their homes. Perhaps they felt it's worth the risk, or perhaps they felt they would lose their homes even ifr Hostess stayed open.

Any habitual action, such as eating or dressing, may be performed on the appropriate occasion, without any need of thought, and the same seems to be true of a painfully large proportion of our talk. -- Bertrand Russell

How bad does a company have to be, in order for the workers to prefer closing it down to taking a pay cut? You're right, the workers are risking their homes. Perhaps they felt it's worth the risk, or perhaps they felt they would lose their homes even ifr Hostess stayed open.

If they've already taken a huge cut, then they are asked to take another cut? They were probably promised the first time something along those lines and it never materialized. I'm sure they knew the executives probably took less of a cut and still got their bonuses while they are all taking a huge hit.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
The more I hear about this, the more I side with the employees.

They probably have already risked their homes or lost their homes with the huge pay cuts and another pay cut would be just as bad or worse than unemployment.

What's not to say the company would follow through with the raises and wouldn't ask for even more cuts later?

After the 30% cuts in 2005, loss of pension in all reality, no pension for new employees, double cost on health insurance with less benefit... it all adds up.

There's more to it than just one number.

I have no problems with alot of the first cuts. However I wonder what cuts the CEOs and management made? Did they give up all bonuses,take a 30% cut in pay and other similar efforts to truly get the ball rolling?

I have no problems with alot of the first cuts. However I wonder what cuts the CEOs and management made? Did they give up all bonuses,take a 30% cut in pay and other similar efforts to truly get the ball rolling?

Everyone needs to ante up so to speak.

I'm with you. I'm guessing they did not. More cuts turns it into a pattern. At first glance I was thinking the employees should just suck it up.... with more information coming out I'm not so sure.

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